News Release

Kevin McNellis2011-11-29
Helena, MT--Attack ads, incendiary fliers, promotional ads, robo-calls, and radio spots have become commonplace during election campaigns, usually paid for by groups operating independently from the candidates they are supporting. Sometimes the sponsors are clearly identified—and sometimes they are not.

A new report from the National Institute on Money in State Politics, Independent Spending in Massachusetts, 2006–2010, reveals how independent political spending changed in Massachusetts since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United v. FEC in January 2010. Prior to the ruling, Massachusetts' law banned corporations from spending money to influence elections, but after the ruling this law ultimately fell.

Records document $19.5 million of independent spending since 2006, 93 percent ($18.1 million) of which was reported in 2010. Labor unions and 527 organizations were the top four spenders in 2010, accounting for 96 percent of all the independent spending. Over the study period 2006-2010, the money spent independently was a fraction of the $201 million contributed directly to candidates.

Massachusetts has required the disclosure of independent expenditures—advertisements that expressly advocate for and against specific candidates(IEs)—since 2004. But 2010 was the first election in which electioneering communications (ECs)—advertisements that do not explicitly advocate for or against candidates—were required to be reported. So while it is not possible to know how--or if--EC spending changed over the last three elections, it is known that the amount of independent expenditures increased more than 700 percent from $795,740 in 2006 to $5.7 million in 2010.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics collects and analyzes campaign contribution information on state-level candidates, political party committees, and ballot committees. Its free, searchable database of contributions is online at FollowTheMoney.org.